Eli Hinze is a high school student born and raised in Texas. She grew up with a love
of fiction, and in her younger years was always either reading or creating stories
of her own. Thankfully, that has never changed.

Despite picking up other hobbies such as martial arts and studying multiple languages,
writing has stayed closest to her heart. She published No Angels, her debut novel,
at age sixteen. Collapsed Cathedrals, the second instalment, is slated for release
in mid-2013.

Book title:No Angels.

Brief Synopsis:

Liz Patrona never expected to lose her normal life completely. She never expected
that people's memories of her would vanish or that all records of her existence would
disappear. She never expected to be stolen away to a city beneath the desert. And
she definitely didn't expect to be told she was the God-chosen barrier between the
common man and paranormal threats.

Liz is a teenager perfectly happy with her mediocrity, that is, before she's taken
by a peculiar group of people and forced into a role she never imagined, - and definitely
doesn’t want. Distinguishing illusions from reality, realizing her abilities as a
pyrokinetic, and keeping otherworldly objects from the hands of normal folk are only
some of the things that await her. Prepared for this by her new mentor, a rude, possibly
sadistic, but oddly attracting man, Liz braces herself for what is to come. But many
an unknown thing lurks here, and what she doesn't know may just kill her.

Personal

What do you do to relax when you are not writing?

I'm not sure I know how to relax, really. I always feel like I'm wasting my time
if I'm not doing something, so when I'm not writing I usually study or work out.
The only truly relaxing activity I take part in is reading, though that can be an
ordeal in and of itself.

What, or who, inspired you to become a writer?

The stories my father read me when I was young pushed me towards it, I think. They
had a profound impact on me. Even with his hectic work schedule, he always found
time to read to me, from Aesop's Fables to The Chronicles of Narnia. I found them
wildly entertaining, and wanted to captivate people in the way that I had been. My
writing is a result of that desire.

Current work

What or who inspired you to write your current novel?

I can't recall a specific thing or person that inspired me, since I first wrote what
would become No Angels in the fourth grade, (though it has obviously matured greatly
over the years.) All I remember is that I was interested in Egypt, where the story
takes place, and wanted to see a strong female protagonist I could identify with.
From that, everything else arose.

Tell us three interesting facts about your book which are not covered in the synopsis.

1) Each name in the book gives a peek into either a character's personality or life.

2) The oldest character in the book is over one thousand years old.

3) There is a cave-like chamber that will either radiate shimmering pastel colors,
or go stark black depending on the intent of the person inside it.

What research did you need to do for this book?

I had to get a basic feel for Cairo, as well as some of its tourist attractions.
I also had to take a very close look at its airport; I can't even tell you how long
I spent looking through Cairo International Airport's online photo gallery. Also,
I had to brush up on various religious and mythological trivia.

Are any elements/characters of your book based on real life experiences or people
you’ve met/known?

The main antagonist's name is similar to that of someone who used to harass me in
elementary school. Also, a lot of the fighting techniques and tricks in the book
are based off my martial arts knowledge, since I have years of experience. Aside
from that, I wanted the story to be relatively distanced from my day-to-day reality.

Tell us a little about your current work-in-progress.

I'm currently working on the final instalment in the No Angels trilogy, though you're
probably asking for something a bit different than what we've already been talking
about.

I have two ideas I plan to tackle after No Angels. One explores the roots of the
main character's suffering as well as the human condition, and is a bit of a psychological
acid trip. The second idea is under the steampunk genre and deals with a world built
on tiers, each divided up based off of social class.

Writing/publication process

What process did you adopt from inception through to the finished book?

Being my first novel, I didn't have a defined process that I worked with. From the
time I wrote it in fourth grade, I kept fleshing the ideas out in my head as I grew
older, wrote it all down again, and completed the official first draft when I was
thirteen. From there I edited it a total of twelve times, including the edits/input
from beta readers, until I had a product I was satisfied with.

What do you need (or not need) around you whilst writing?

I cannot have a computer near me at all. I become far too distracted. Everything
I write, I write by hand initially, and then copy it over to a computer. And though
this isn't a material thing, it needs to be dead silent. I also need a blanket to
wrap around myself, regardless of the temperature.

What prompted you to self-publish your current book?

At the time I wanted to publish No Angels, my life was simply too hectic to pursue
traditional publishing. I didn't think I could handle query letters and agents and
even more potential deadlines. Sure, I had sent out query letters, but even keeping
up with those was a challenge.

What were the three biggest challenges you faced when writing your book?

1) Time. I'm an extremely busy person, so finding time to sit down and write was
near impossible for quite a while.

2) . . . Internet. I used to go on the computer to research something and, well,
usually wound up looking at Grumpy Cat photos. I've actually had to put a block on
my computer that locks me out of social media sites after a set amount of time every
day.

3) Being too wordy. I'm very descriptive in my writing, so sometimes I go overboard
and need to make a conscious effort to reign it in.

Every author seems to suffer with writer’s block at some point. How do you overcome
it?

I just write. I'll force myself through it, even if I hate every word that's coming
out. If I don't like it, I can always change it later, but at least then I have something
to work with as opposed to nothing.

What single piece of advice would you give to any aspiring writer?

Again, write. Just do it, because it's not going to magically materialize for you.
Don't sit there and plan and plan for hours on end either, then never get around
to actually writing anything. Just write. Keep edits of anything you want to change
content or wording-wise for later.

Genre

What genre does your book fall into?

YA fantasy.

How did you get interested in this specific genre?

I had enjoyed fantasy for years, but many of the books I was reading were lacking
a certain, unnamed something. A spark that I didn't find until I came across the
YA urban fantasy novel “City of Bones”. I loved that it blended fantasy into the
modern world, had more snarky characters than I was used to, and so on. From then
on out, YA fantasy had me in its grip.

You as a reader

Which three authors have inspired you the most, and why?

1) J. K. Rowling. Though I had already started writing before I read any of her work,
she inspired me to keep trucking forward.

2) Homer. The sheer variety of plot lines mixed into a single epic, combined with
such raw emotion and prose changed the way I thought about writing in a way I can't
fully explain.

3) Cassandra Clare. I was slowly becoming disenchanted with the literary world, coming
across one too many terrible books, but her works yanked me (violently) right back
in, and exposed me to my first dose of YA lit, which is now the genre I primarily
write in today.

What was your favourite book as a child?

What kind of failure would I be to my generation if I didn't say Harry Potter? In
all seriousness, if I was to add up every time I'd read each individual book, the
total would come to roughly thirty five.

What is the best book you’ve read in the last 12 months?

Life of Pi.

What was the last book you recommended to a friend, and why did you think it was
worthy of recommendation?

The Picture of Dorian Gray. It's an elegant classic, without being pretentious, plus
has lovely writing and momentum. I also love the sinister, dark quality of the main
character.

Kindle (or other e-reader) or paperback, and why?

I've tried adapting to my Kindle, but print will always be number one in my book.
eReaders are useful for reading the work of indie authors who don't have their books
in print, but overall I'd rather contribute to my growing library. Plus I prefer
the look and feel of paperback.

Hollywood is calling

You’ve had the call from Hollywood and they want your opinion on who should play
the leading roles in the film based upon your book. Who would you choose, and why?

For Liz I'd choose Evanna Lynch. She seems to have a decent amount of spunk to her,
without being too in your face about it. Truth be told, she doesn't look much like
Liz to me, but so far I haven't been able to find anyone that does. Riven's appearance
was almost based entirely off the actor Ben Barnes, who is a fantastically versatile
actor as well.

The film of your book is now going to need a soundtrack. Which musician(s) would
you want to write and play it?